There Are A Million Burgers In The Naked City...

There are many different types of hamburgers, and I believe that American cuisine is enriched by each and every one. From the over-the-top $29 stuffed-with-foie-gras-and-black-truffle concoction at DB Bistro Modern to Pop Burger’s bite-sized sliders, every burger is unique. In fact, there are many different variables to consider when constructing a burger. What shape and size should the patty be (or, indeed, consider the koan presented by In-N-Out Burger’s patty-less Wish Burger)? What kind of beef should be in the patty? Cheese or no cheese? Do you emphasis the toppings? What should the toppings be? And so on and so forth.

With so many different variables, and so many different approaches to the philosophy of building the burger (compare, say, the Corner Bistro’s thick, bulbous patties with cheese and bacon to the Shake Shack’s California-style approach to Big Nick’s slab-o-beef), it is clear that there is no platonic ideal of the hamburger; there is no single perfect burger.